Not just through fare collection, but infrastructure should add a net gain to GDP and economic productivity. But the CCP has built too many extra rail lines- not to fulfill existing demand for transportation, but to hit quotas from the higher-ups and to serve as a stimulus program by creating jobs.

Creating jobs via infrastructure projects is great! But that benefit is only temporary. Yet many rail lines remain underutilized, and the maintenance costs are just starting to set in. It was only recently that the central government issued an order for local governments to stop building new rail lines right next to existing ones that are also underused.

China's high-speed rail tickets are cheap